Music-sheet turner.



J. SGH'OLTZ.

MUSIC SHEET TURNER.

APPLIGATION FILED DB0.1o,1soa.

927,174. Patented July 6, 1909.

We r '1 E n nnnnn I INVENTOR by ao JW k' muwzw. n. annum oo.. mommmnumzn wml-usaron. n c.

UNITED STATES JAMES SOHOLTZ, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA..

MUSIC-SHEET TURNER.

Application filed December 10, 1908.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JAMEs ScnoLrZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in lWIusic-Sheet Turners, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in music sheet turners, and the obj ect of the invention is to provide a device of this character by which the sheets can be turned by devices which are not attached to the sheets; in which the winding up of the spring mechanism will be effected automatically in the use of the apparatus; with which the piece or book of music can be readily adjusted in coperative relation with the music turner which can be readily adjusted for various thicknesses of the music book or piece; and which will be simple in construction and inexpensive in cost.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a front view of the apparatus in a reduced scale; Fig. 2 is a rear view of the mechanism for operating the same; Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a similar view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a similar view on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2; Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the key strip detached; Fig. 7 is a side view of a loop.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates a rack which is of a general rectangular forni, and comprises the side bars 2, the top bar 3 and the bottom bar 4. Said side bars are bent backward near their lower ends, as shown at 5, before being attached to the bottom bar. On the under side of the bottom bar are secured rubber blocks or feet 6 which can rest upon the rack ofthe piano, and in like manner, blocks 7 of rubber are secured upon the back of the top bar to rest against the front of said piano rack. Extending' between the side bars 2 is an angular rest piece 8, for the sheets of music, said rest piece being connected with the top bar by thin light strips 9. Secured to said rest piece is a piece 10, in which, and also in the top bar, are formed holes 11 and open-ended slots 12 each hole being adapted to receive the reduced end 13 of a semi-circular loop 14, the other end being formed with a head 15, and being adapted to drop into the corresponding openended slot 12. In placing a piece of sheet music in position upon the rack 1 of the music turner, the small end of each loop 14 is Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 6, 1909.

Serial No. 466,898.

first passed through holcs formed in the sheets which should be at this time turned over to the left, and then into one ofthe holes 1l, and then the headed end of said loop is dropped down into the slot 12. All of the leaves are then turned upon said loop from a position on the left of the rack to a position on the right thereof.

Firmly secured to the bottom of the rack l is a frame 2O which carries the mechanism for turning the sheets. Said frame 20 has, substantially opposite to its point of connection at the bottom of the bar, an upwardly extending pin 21, which can engage any one of a series of holes 22 formed in the ledge of the angular rest piece 8. On account of the flexibility' of the rest piece and of the strips 9, the middle of said rest piece can easily be moved in or out to permit said pin to enter any one of said holes, thereby adjusting said rest piece for carrying pieces of music or books of different thicknesses.

Between two plates 23, 24, extending parallel with each other and obliquely upward and to the right, are confined a suitable number, four being here shown, of cupshaped disks 25, to the periphery of each of which is attached a turning finger 26, said turning lingers extending at an angle o about 45 degrees with the plane of the disk, so that, when said disk is in one position, the turning finger' extends upward or parallel with the sides 2 of the rack, and when said disk has turned through an angle of 90 dcgrees in its own plane, said finger then extends horizontally or parallel to the base of the turner rack. INithin each disk is a coiled spring 27, the outer end of which is attached at 28 to the periphery of the disk while the inner end is secured to a shaft 29 passing centrally through all of said disks. Each spring is so disposed that, when the disk is turned so that the corresponding 'finger is moved from a horizontal to a vertical position, the spring is wound up, and, consequently, if the spring is released the effect of its expansion is to move the Jringer from a vertical to a horizontal position. Each of said disks has formed in its periphery a notch 30, and when the disks are all in such position that the 'lingers extend vertically, the said notches are in line with each other at the lowest points of the disks, and in this position they are adapted to be engaged by a key 31 formed upon a slide piece 32, which slides in a suitable bearing in thc frame, and

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has formed thereon a rack 33. Said rack engages a pinion 34 loosely mounted upon a post 35, around which post is a coiled spring 36, one end of which is attached to the post and the other end is attached to said pinion. To said pinion is secured a ratchet wheel 37, which is adapted to be engaged by the beveled end 33 of a push rod 39 passing through the frame 20 of the mechanism, and normally pressed outward by means of a coiled spring 4L() pressed against the head 4]. of said push rod.

The operation is therefore as follows: ln arranging the sheets of music, as the player turns each sheet to the right, he inserts a turning finger between said sheet and the next sheet to the left. As each turning fmger in succession is thus moved troni a horizontal to a vertical position, the corresponding disk 25 is moved so that its notch 30 is brought into alinement with the key 3l, and as soon as this takes place, said key slides into said notch, being moved to do so by the unwinding of the coiled spring 36 acting' thr'ough the pinion 34 and rack 33. The sheets having all been placed in position with the turning fingers interposed therebetween., the player plays the piece, and, when he desires to turn over the Yfirst sheet, he pushes in the push rod, the effect of which is to rotate the ratchet wheel 37 and the pinion 34, and withdraw the rack 33, so that the sliding key 3l is withdrawn from engagement with the notch in the disk of the first turning arm, so that said disk is free to turn. This it immediately does by reason olE the expansive force of the coiled spring 27 within the disk. Consequently, the turning linger is moved from a vertical to a horizontal position, turning the sheet over and laying it on the left. rlhis operation is repeated for each turning linger in succession.

It will be observed that, as the operator pushes in the push rod to turn each sheet in succession, he correspondingly winds up the coiled spring 40 around the post 35, so that, the next time the music turner is used, the energy thus stored up in the coiled spring serves to automatically move the sliding` key into successive engagement with the notches and the disks, as the turning lingers are placed in proper or operative relations to the sheets of the music. Consequently no special winding up is ever required but the device is always ready for use.

To avoid the noise that would be occasioned by the ends of the turning lingers striking a side ol" the rack l, l secure upon said side, at the proper position to receive the impact of said ends, a strip of rubber 42, and a piece of metal 43 is also preferably provided, turned up at the lower end to prevent the ends of the turning lingers rebounding out of position.

l claim l. ln a device of the character described, the combination of a series of lingers, rotary devices to which said lingers are secured, each rotary device being arranged to rotate about an axis making substantially half a right angle with the corresponding linger, and means for moving said devices, substantially as described.

2. In a device oi the character described, the combination oiE a series of lingers, a series of rotary devices to which said lingers are severally secured, a common shaft for said devices, said lingers heilig secured to said devices at an angle of substantially half a right angle with said shaft, springs for turning the several devices, and a latch arranged to be operated to release said devices in succession to be actuated by said. springs, substantially as described 3. In a device ol the character described, the combination of a series of lingers, a series of rotary devices to which said lingers are severally secured, a common shaft for said devices, said lingers being secured to said devices at an angle of substantially half a right angle with said shaft, springs for turning the several devices, a latch arranged to be operated to release said devices in succession to be actuated by said springs, means for withdrawing said latch, and a spring for projecting said latch into its retaining position., and arranged to be energized by said withdrawal, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

FRANeIs M. W nier-1r, D. B. Roimnns. 

